Our team

Hugo Barrette

Role: Top-down and capital market analysis, strategic and tactical asset allocation, and wealth management plan oversight. Mr. Barrette is responsible for top-down and capital market analysis. He continuously monitors economic changes that are likely to present opportunities or threats. Mr. Barrette also sees to the optimal and dynamic allocation of assets with a focus on our clients’ personal goals as well as market economic forecasts. Lastly, he manages our clients’ wealth using an integrated and personalized approach with a view to ascertaining and achieving all of the client's individual and family needs. Mr. Barrette also helps RBC professionals make sound decisions in carrying out the wealth management plan.

Hugo Barrette began his career in financial services in 1997 as a Financial Analyst at Tassé & Associés. He then went on to become Co-Manager at Optimum Asset Management, a role which saw him develop complex quantitative models applied to the energy, materials and industrial products sectors, in addition to grasping the essential concepts of fundamental analysis.

This expertise later led Mr. Barrette to a key position as Senior Analyst on the Management of Managers team for Desjardins Asset Management. Under his leadership, his team managed assets totalling $11 billion. This role allowed Mr. Barrette to gain essential and extensive know-how in evaluating and selecting portfolio management companies. Moreover, he developed skills in optimizing the division of work among portfolio managers, so as to achieve a better risk-adjusted performance profile. The knowledge he acquired in this position would ultimately become a major asset in developing optimal personalized investment portfolios for a clientele requiring a multidisciplinary management approach.

Looking to put his well-honed skills to use for high net worth clients, Mr. Barrette pursued a career as Private Wealth Manager at Desjardins Investment Management. He managed assets totalling $225 million, and his clientele was comprised of individuals and semi-institutional clients.

Following this pivotal experience, Mr. Barrette decided to join a well-known private management firm. At BMO Harris, he perfected his global and integrated wealth management approach for an affluent clientele. In his seven years as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, he successfully maximized his clients’ financial situation, thanks to his exacting and proven approach. Specifically, he built a loyal client base worth close to $300 million and became an exemplary model in terms of client satisfaction.

Wanting to offer the highest calibre of wealth management service in the industry and to learn from the skills of a vast multidisciplinary team of forward-thinking experts, Mr. Barrette moved to join RBC Dominion Securities in 2015. Furthermore, to complement his strengths in portfolio management, Mr. Barrette teamed up with Yanik Giroux, a specialist in fundamental analysis in selecting stocks, to form the Barrette Giroux Group.

Yanik Giroux

Roles: Business analysis of the component securities of investment portfolios. Mr. Giroux’s primary role is to perform a fundamental security analysis and select the appropriate investment sectors. To this end, he conducts an in-depth analysis of all of the economic and financial data on the companies and the industries in which they operate. He also identifies each company’s inherent risks. As such, Mr. Giroux is responsible for analyzing and selecting stocks that will have the best risk/return relationship for each asset class. In consultation with Mr. Barrette, he adopts a meticulous and methodical approach for choosing stocks that meet the Barrette Giroux Wealth Management Group’s high quality standards.

Yanik Giroux began his career in financial services in 1999 at Toronto Dominion Bank as Account Manager for small and medium sized businesses, after having started his own business.

Mr. Giroux pursued his career at Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), which he joined in 2000 as Account Manager. Throughout his illustrious 14-year career at BDC, he held numerous key positions, including Senior Loans Manager, Major Accounts Manager, Entrepreneurship Centre Manager, Thérèse-De Blainville Branch Manager, Place Ville Marie Branch Manager and, lastly, Regional Director, Specialized Industries, for all of Quebec.

Thus, he became a prominent player in business financing. He is seen by his banking industry peers as a leading expert in corporate financial analysis and in understanding the issues facing companies. In fact, Mr. Giroux has directly, and through the teams under his direction, secured financing for over 1,000 companies during his career, and estimates to have analyzed upwards of 4,000 companies over the same period. The breadth of his accumulated knowledge has given him an enviable understanding of financial analysis of companies, which is indispensable in selecting stocks. Among other things, his experience and vast understanding of various industries and their respective inherent risks has taught him about sound risk management.

A seasoned manager, Mr. Giroux achieved several major accomplishments as a corporate finance specialist at BDC. Notably, he opened a new branch to great success, helped a major Montreal branch recover and opened BDC’s Specialized Industries division for the entire province of Quebec, which enjoyed unprecedented results. He was in charge of several specialized markets such as real estate (industrial, office and commercial), the hotel industry, aerospace and agrifood, wherein he led the teams in these respective markets. His grasp of the investment options available to investors is unparalleled.

Mr. Giroux has also been called on as an expert in articles in prominent publications such as Le Journal des Affaires, La Revue Commerce and Canal argent. Moreover, he has been a panelist in various industry associations.

Wanting to offer an integrated approach to a corporate clientele, for both their personal and their business’s financial situation, and to be able to provide the highest level of wealth management service in the industry, Mr. Giroux decided to join RBC Dominion Securities in 2015. There, he teamed up with Hugo Barrette to form the Barrette Giroux Wealth Management Group. His exceptional skill in conducting bottom-up analyses, specifically of company fundamentals, brings significant added value to portfolio management.

Lilian Ishak

Ms. Ishak graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Mathematics from Concordia University in 2012. Shortly thereafter, she began her career in financial services as a Portfolio Assistant for BMO Harris Private Banking in 2013. With the support of her team, she ensures that all industry rules and compliance requirements are scrupulously adhered to, and she maintains ongoing communication with clients to see to their day-to-day needs, such as producing detailed and specific reports on their portfolios. Her fluency in several languages, spoken and written, allows her to serve a broader clientele. Furthermore, she brings exceptional analytical skills through her mathematics background, an added value for the client. Ms. Ishak is highly valued for her dedication and outstanding client service.